Synthesis of Mo2C and W2C Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts for the Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkali and Acid Electrolytes

Sajjad Hussain; Dhanasekaran Vikraman; Asad Feroze; Wooseok Song; Ki-Seok An; Hyun-Seok Kim; Seung-Hyun Chun; Jongwan Jung

doi:10.3389/fchem.2019.00716

Synthesis of Mo₂C and W₂C Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts for the Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkali and Acid Electrolytes

Front Chem. 2019 Oct 25:7:716. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00716. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Sajjad Hussain^{1

2}, Dhanasekaran Vikraman³, Asad Feroze^{1

4}, Wooseok Song⁵, Ki-Seok An⁵, Hyun-Seok Kim³, Seung-Hyun Chun^{1

4}, Jongwan Jung^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Graphene Research Institute, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea.
² Department of Nano and Advanced Materials Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea.
³ Division of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Dongguk University-Seoul, Seoul, South Korea.
⁴ Department of Physics, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea.
⁵ Thin Film Materials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon, South Korea.

Abstract

The synthesis of low cost, high efficacy, and durable hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts from the non-noble metal group is a major challenge. Herein, we establish a simple and inexpensive chemical reduction method for producing molybdenum carbide (Mo₂C) and tungsten carbide (W₂C) nanoparticles that are efficient electrocatalysts in alkali and acid electrolytes for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). Mo₂C exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic behavior with an overpotential of -134 mV in acid medium and of -116 mV in alkaline medium, while W₂C nanoparticles require an overpotential of -173 mV in acidic medium and -130 mV in alkaline medium to attain a current density of 10 mA cm^-2. The observed results prove the capability of high- and low-pH active electrocatalysts of Mo₂C and W₂C nanoparticles to be efficient systems for hydrogen production through HER water electrolysis.

Keywords: HER; Mo2C; W2C; electrocatalyst; nanoparticle.